The present invention is directed to an on-off valve which is adapted to be attached to a conventional water faucet. More particularly, the present invention concerns an on-off water valve which eliminates the necessity of regulating the water tap to an acceptable water temperature every time the water faucet is utilized.
In the conventional water faucets which are utilized in connection with sinks, bathtubs and shower facilities, it is always necessary to adjust the valves controlling both the hot and the cold water in order to obtain a water flow which has an acceptable water temperature. Of course, in the process of regulating the water temperature, a substantial amount of water is lost in the process, including heated water which requires a certain amount of energy to bring it to the heated state. Thus, there is not only a loss of the water per se, but also a loss in the energy required to produce the heated water. Furthermore, there is the inherent inconvenience of being required to regulate the water tap in order to obtain a desirable water temperature.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved off-on water valve which can be readily adapted to conventional faucets and which is effective in producing a desired water temperature much more readily than the prior art valve devices without the necessity of regulating the existing hot and cold taps of the water faucet.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved on-off water valve which not only is effective in achieving a desired water temperature in a relatively short period of time, but also provides a savings in the quantity of water which is normally wasted when utilizing conventional water valves with a concurrent savings in the amount of energy required to heat the water which has been lost during the regulation of the water temperature.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved on-off water valve which can be manually operated and which requires no springs or other complicated elements to achieve its effective operation.
Other objects and further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter; it should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
The on-off water valve of the present invention is a simple hand-operated on-off valve which is readily adaptable to fit the average water faucet. The valve of the present invention enables an individual to preset the temperature and pressure of the water with the existing valves and then to control the flow of the water by the mechanical operation of the on-off valve of the present invention. Thus, by presetting the temperature and pressure of the water with the existing valve, the flow of the water can be either turned off or turned on by either lowering or raising a lever arm which is associated with a valve stem and valve head disposed on the inside of the water valve. The valve housing of the present invention contains a valve stem with a valve head associated therewith, a ring washer disposed around the valve head, a valve seat which is adapted to receive the valve head, an aerator device and a lever arm which is connected to the valve stem. All of the internal components of the hand-operated on-off water valve of the present invention are removable from the valve housing by merely unscrewing the lever arm handle and dismantling the valve. The on-off water valve of the present invention is provided with an off position, an on position and a hold-on position which permits the flow of the water to proceed without requiring the operator to hold the valve open in its on position.